Kava Safety

There has been some bad press about Kava Kava by individuals and companies who we are sure are acting with the best of intent, but ,we felt it was important to devote an entire page of our blog to this important topic. All we hope to do with this page is point you to the many articles we have regarding Kava and its clinically-proven safety. Below is our favorite article, but we link to many others on our website as well, proving what we’ve known all along; that Kava is a safe and effective herbal supplement, enjoyed and revered throughout Polynesia for many generations.

Before we continue, though, we’d love to point you to a few of our own articles regarding the safety of the Kava we offer to you, our loyal customers:

New research has proven once again, that kava extracts, when prepared properly, and while using the root of the plant, is safe and effective in reducing anxiety. Since we abide by FDA rules, we cannot advertise Kava as an aid for anxiety, but we can allow clinical trials to speak for themselves!

This research was published in the Psychopharmacology Journal and provides definitive clinical evidence that Kava is not only a safe and effective herbal supplement, but it has also been shown to be an effective treatment for anxiety as well as improving mood.

The Kava used in the trials was given in the form of tablets, which were supplied by a respected herbal company called MediHerb Pty Ltd. The lead researcher; Jerome Sarris, conducted the placebo-controlled study. The results were clear: Kava was an effective and safe treatment option for people with chronic anxiety and varying levels of depression, but this is something we’ve known for many generations here at Kona Kava Farm.

As Mr. Sarris said; “We’ve been able to show that Kava offers a natural alternative for the treatment of anxiety, and unlike some pharmaceutical options, has less risk of dependency and less potential of side effects.”

In fact, the results weren’t uncertain or unclear by any measure; anxiety levels reportedly decreased dramatically for participants taking five of the kava tablets per day, unlike the group taking the placebos. Although it’s a difficult to measure clinically, Mr. Sarris said, conclusively; “We also found that kava had a positive impact on reducing depression levels, something which had not been tested before.”

Kava’s good name has suffered bans and bad press for purported “liver damage” for several years now, and it’s heartening to see study after study emerge, proving that Kava isn’t the villain that pharmaceutical companies and the press like to make it out to be. As we’ve said countless times here at Kona Kava Farm: Kava has been used daily in our family for many generations, and it’s not atypical for family members to live into their 90’s.

Although a 3-week study does not address any potential long-term negative effects from Kava, Mr. Sarris was comfortable enough to report that when Kava is extracted properly and according to recommended guidelines, it “may pose less or no potential liver problems.”

And this has been Kona Kava Farm’s position all along; the study that was conducted in Germany used extracts made from harsh chemicals, from the poisonous parts of the kava plant, and used a test group of heavy drinkers. Kava didn’t have a chance.

In fact, even in places where there’s a ban on commercial importation of Kava, such as Canada and Australia (the only two places left in the world where Kava is banned commercially) the study used properly prepared Kava by using only the peeled roots and water extracts. The medicinal cultivar of the plant is actually legal in Australia for medicinal use, and in Canada personal importation of Kava is allowed as well.

This is exciting news for Kava, but news we knew the truth about for many generations. My only hope is that even more people will be enticed to discover the many therapeutic and pleasurable effects from this clinically-proven, safe and effective natural herbal supplement known as Kava Kava.